Tag Archives: John Holcomb Farm Monitor

Floral Design to Forestry: Georgia Ag Teacher Inspires Students & Earns National Recognition

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Madison, GA |

Inside the classroom and greenhouse at Morgan County High School, students are learning more than just plant science—they’re discovering purpose. Thanks to the dedication of agriculture teacher Rachel Kinsaul, courses like floral design, horticulture, and forestry are helping students find their footing in the world of agriculture, regardless of their background.

“Right now, I teach horticulture, forestry, and floral design. So, I’m kind of more on the plant side of things,” says Kinsaul. “Floral design came about because we were trying to attract a different kid into the ag program, trying to diversify our population a little bit. At that time, we were really boy heavy. So, we created our floral design program to try to pull in different kids that might not have taken an ag class otherwise.”

Once she gets students in the door with the appeal of floral design, Kinsaul says she can then introduce them to the broader opportunities that agriculture has to offer—everything from animal science to ag mechanics.

But for her, it’s not just about recruitment. It’s about helping students explore who they are and where they belong.

“Agriculture is so diverse,” she says. “One thing I really try to focus in on is trying a little bit of everything to find something that sticks—something they really love. Once they find that area, I think it’s just natural for their passion to shine. I try to show the kids that in lots of different ways—public speaking, hands-on production, showing livestock—giving them a wide variety of opportunities so they can see what fits.”

That commitment to student growth recently earned Kinsaul national recognition. She was named a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award—one of only 40 educators across the country to receive the honor this year.

“They like to celebrate the unsung hero—those who don’t always get the recognition but are doing the work,” says Kinsaul. “Then they focus on elevating. I just got back from L.A. where I met the 39 other recipients, and the focus was on finding our passion, being ten percent bolder, taking risks. The third part is activating—going back out into our communities to do big things and advocate for education.”

And for Kinsaul, advocacy starts with her students. She sees agricultural education as a vital tool—not just for those entering the field, but for any student preparing to join the workforce.

“CTAE is really working to prepare students for the workforce through career tech and ag education,” she explains. “A big portion of my job is advocating for what we do, so our program is seen as relevant in the community and across the state. Whether the kids go into ag or not, we’re hoping they’re much more prepared for the workforce.”

By: John Holcomb

Georgia’s Pine Tree Reforestation Process Explained | Planting for a Thriving Timber Future

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Milledgeville, GA |

Here in Baldwin County, these guys are hard at work hand planting pine trees – a crucial step in Georgia’s reforestation process. However, that process isn’t an easy one – in fact it’s a multi-step process that foresters across the state follow closely, starting with clearing out the competition, giving the seedlings the best chance to survive.

“So after a clear cut, you’ve got all this influx of sunlight that’s going to get a lot of things growing that weren’t growing when it wasn’t a forested stand, so you’ve got to get rid of all that competing vegetation or it’s going to outcompete your pine trees, and you’re going to have poor survival. So they do a broadcast chemical treatment that kills all that vegetation and then so you let that chemical work for about two months and then you’re ready to actually put the trees in the ground during the winter time. So the time frame on those steps are, the chemical site treatment is in the summer, you’re going to do your burning in the fall, roughly two months after the chemical treatment, and then you’re going to plant the trees,” says Jason McMullen, Management Forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission.

According to McMullen, once the site is ready, the Winter is the most ideal time of year for planting, as the moist soil allows the seedlings to take root.

“Generally, you know, it’s wet in the winter and it’s cool. You’re going to get the trees in the ground while there’s plenty of moisture, and they have time to start spreading the roots and getting established before it turns dry in the spring and summer. We are planting containerized seedlings here, so they’re going to be more drought resistant versus bare root seedlings, but it just helps them get established before it gets hot and dry in the summer,” says McMullen.

From there, McMullen says management is the key to success, as the ultimate goal is ensuring the trees are able to thrive.

“Our next potential step would be in the spring doing a herbaceous weed control treatment. That’s a follow up chemical treatment to knock back any weeds or competing vegetation that may try to come up this spring. After that, with loblolly pine, you really just let them grow for about fifteen years, and then you’re going to be looking at doing your first commercial thinning operation,” says McMullen.

According to McMullen however, while the timing and technique are important parts of the process, it’s the big picture that matters most to Georgia’s forestry industry, and is one that’s typically misunderstood.

“I have people ask me about are we running out of trees? Why are you cutting down the trees? The trees, they are a crop. They’re planted for the purpose of harvesting. So the bigger issue is if you were to clear cut something and not putting it back. Here, replanting trees, that’s being a good steward of the land; getting the land back in a productive state and helping our thriving timber economy continue to thrive,” says McMullen.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Hay Producers Face Challenges After Brutal 2024 | What to Expect in 2025

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Tifton, GA |

Spring has officially sprung here in Georgia which means hay fields and pastures across the state will be starting to flourish, signaling a new production year for forage producers. According to Lisa Baxter, State Forage Extension Specialist, it’s a sight many producers are excited to see after the terrible year they had in 2024.

“In short, 2024 was not the here for forages in not just Georgia, the whole southeast. We were way too wet in the spring and led to a lot of disease issues really early on that unfortunately, we don’t have chemical options for within the forage industry. Going into summer, we pivoted hard. We went way to dry for way too long for warm season perennial production. Had some easement later in the year through the tropical storms and hurricanes, but even then it was a lot of rain at one time, and then nothing for six plus weeks for a lot of areas. Those of them up at producers up in North Georgia lost a lot of stockpile potential in their fescue because that fall drought for them, where the hurricanes missed a lot of those areas, it just, it didn’t happen,” says Lisa Baxter, State Forage Specialist.

One huge and unexpected issue producers had this year was fall army worms, which were spotted in nearly every county in the state, which according to Baxter, really hurt producers’ bottom lines.

“Our insecticide costs, pastures, hay fields, every variety cultivar we have out there; it hit them all. So that was a much bigger expense going into our forages than most producers have ever had before,” says Baxter.

According to Baxter, unfortunately, due to last year’s issues, 2025 doesn’t bring much optimism, at least so far, as inputs, such as seed and fertilizer, are expected to remain high for producers.

“There are certain species and varieties that I’ve heard are going to be a little more limited on the seed side this year because of weather challenges out west, but that’s again, a wait and see kind of kind of game there. We just don’t know what the demand is for those products every year. With row crop prices being very high, I’m hearing a lot of pivots wanting to be put into forage production. So that, in my mind, is going to increase that demand beyond our typical producer base. Then on the input side, fertilizer, it’s expensive as always. I know it goes up and down, but there and we can’t cut it out, especially in a hayfield,” says Baxter.

According to Baxter, a big issue that’s followed producers into this year is the availability of hay, as stockpiles were diminished due to forage grazing either being limited or non-existent.

“There just wasn’t as much hay produced because of all of those challenges. If you had an area that you couldn’t do fall stockpile a lot of areas couldn’t get winter grazing in that put additional strain on those already limited hay reserves and coming into 2025, I’m hearing a lot of producers that have empty hay barns. They’re ready for summer to be here and it’s not here yet. So, our guidance through UGA extension would be we’ve got to manage that stocking right early, balance it with our forage availability and match our herd size accordingly,” says Baxter.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Bill Aims to Protect Farmers’ Access to Crop Tools | Senate Bill 144 Explained

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Atlanta, GA |

Each and every day, farmers and producers across the country work to produce the food and fiber we all need and depend on – with tools they need and depend on, and thanks to lawmakers in Atlanta, those tools are one step closer to being protected by state law as Senate Bill 144 has passed through the General Assembly and is now headed to the Governor’s desk.

“It’s a labeling bill and we’re basically, we’ve got a failure to warn clause in there, and we’re just saying that the manufacturers of products could not put anything on the label other than what EPA allows them to put on the label. At the end of the day, the EPA is the final say so. They’re the ones that do the research on top of what the manufacturers are doing to make sure products are safe. So, it’s truly a labeling bill – the label is the law. The EPA is in control of that and the federal government. So we’re just stating that in the bill and it’s just a failure to warn clause and that the EPA is the final say so in that,” says Senator Sam Watson from Georgia’s 11th District.

Though the bill only addresses labels, it assures farmers they’ll continue to have vital access to technologies they depend on.

“Currently, there is only one manufacturer of glyphosate in the United States. So they’ve obviously had difficulties with this failure to warn claim, so when you start talking about food security, food safety, and farmers livelihoods; trait technology is an important tool that we have in our toolbox as farmers and we couldn’t farm without all of the trait technologies and the use of herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides in general,” says Watson.

Watson, who is a producer himself, says these tools are essential to their operations now more than ever, as rising costs require them to be as efficient as possible – something that wouldn’t be the case without those trait technologies.

“I’m more on the vegetable side, and we have to use a lot of hand labor. H-2A just went up another two dollars an hour and so we use herbicides to help control weeds in our crops. So it became an issue of, is this product going to be around for the future generations to use? And are we going to have this tool in the toolbox? If you go to your local hardware store or your local Home Depot or Lowe’s, I don’t think you’re going to find glyphosate on the shelf because it’s been removed from the shelf. That active ingredient has already been removed. So, that’s where the fear from agriculture came, that what else is going to come off the shelf?,” says Watson.

Beyond protecting American agriculture, Watson believes the bill also safeguards American manufacturing and ultimately national security.

“The Chinese manufacture a lot of these products and if we have to buy it from the Chinese to feed Americans and to stay in business, then we’re probably going to get it from the Chinese. When there’s a problem, how do you go after someone in another country? We want to make sure that we protect American manufacturing and especially American manufacturing of these products,” says Watson.

By: John Holcomb